Monday, December 24, 2012

The Dolphins failed to make the playoffs for the 4th straight year, and have made it now 3 times in the last dozen years (which is just a little worse than you might expect). And in that same span, they've been through 7 head coaches (which is absolutely ludicrous!).

They will wind up 7-9, or 8-8 if they manage to beat the Pats next weekend (yeah, right!), which is about average in that same span....

But the question is: is their future bright? You have a rookie QB who is "good," which is better than most teams have, but the jury is out on whether he's elite (I would argue he's not, but we'll see). You have a rookie head coach who did okay this year. And you have a personnel guy who is rarely praised, and often derided. And he's had plenty of time to improve this team....

Anyway, sure they played some good games this year. And maybe there's an upside to the team. But consider the number of free agents they have: Jake Long, Randy Starks, Anthony Fasano, Brian Hartline, Chris Clemons, Sean Smith, Marlin Moore, both of the QBs not named Tannehill, Reggie Bush, and a bunch of role players. Surely, they won't re-sign all (or even most) of these guys.

Plus, you have to figure a few other guys will be released for salary reasons based on their performance.

And that leaves holes all over the team. Can a team with that many holes have a "bright side?" Probably not.

Its kind of sad when you think about it....

It's going to be a while before this team is back to being competitive year in and year out.

2
comments

I have to disagree Dave. I do agree jury is still out on TH. But this team was 1 of 4 screwedup games from controlling its own destiny in regards to playoffs. Considering g I expected 2-3 wins tops thia year, I'll take the progress. They simply must make the playoffs next year or Ireland will be gone. For all of those fans who want him go e before the draft this year, simply won't happen. I do like what I see out of Philbin. We can agree its been way to long for our team to matter again. Let's hope and pray that changes in 2013!!

Dave... with all due respect I totally disagree with your assessment. We have 60M under cap for which we will resign the key players needed to move forward not backward. The remaining balance can be spent on upgrades to positions (stretch the field WR & seam TE) that have been identified as glaring needs. We have 5 of the top 100 draft picks to bring in youth - hopefully 2 out of the 5 will have an immediate impact in 2013. And finally - you have a QB that EVERYONE said would never be ready to even contribute before a year of seasoning. Correct me if I'm wrong but Thill's growth alone this year warrants a positive view of what he could turn into with another year of coaching & experience. Not being a homer but I would say our future is the brightest its been in quite a while. 2013 will tell but w/ all the above I'm pretty excited about where we are & potentially where we might be come next year.